Imperial Women Byzantium 1025-1204: Power, Patronage and Ideology

by Barbara Hill

This book will be essential reading for anyone studying Byzantine history in this period. It ranges in time from the death of the emperor Basil II in 1025 to the sacking of the city of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusaders in 1204, spanning the rise and fall of the successful Komnenos dynasty. Eleventh-century Byzantine history is unusual in that imperial women were able to wield immense power and in this ground-breaking book Dr Hill explores why this was possible and, equally, why they lost their position of influence a century later.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Ruben]

If you confuse names a lot, good luck reading this one…

[Joshua]

Feeling like my guy on the cover after finishing this one

[Eileen Iciek]

This book provides a wonderful insight into the women of the Byzantine empire from 1025 to 1204. Exceptionally well written for a book by an academic, the prose reads easily without much professorial pomposity. For those interested in Byzantine history, particularly the Comnene era, the author explains with clear details how a number of mid-11th century women brought about the changes needed to recover from 50 years of incompetent rulers. I cannot recommend it highly enough!